Stopping Spam
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about blocking unsolicited e-mails, listening to books on the iPod Shuffle and backing up your "favorites."
If you have a question, send it to me at
mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg's Mailbox.
Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
Q: Our new Dell 8400 has Microsoft's built-in firewall protection, Norton AntiVirus and Webroot's antispyware software. Yet we still get numerous e-mail solicitations for pills, pornography, etc. What else can we do?
A: Your problem is spam -- unsolicited commercial e-mail. And spam isn't stopped by firewalls, antivirus programs, or antispyware programs. You need to obtain and install an antispam program, or turn on the antispam feature in your e-mail program, or do both.
Q: If I buy the new $99 iPod Shuffle , can I use it to listen to books? Can I synchronize it with my Toshiba laptop, if I already am synchronizing a regular iPod to the same laptop?
A: Yes, and yes. Like all iPods, the little Shuffle can play back digital audio books from Audible.com. These can be purchased from the iTunes online store or from Audible's Web site. And, you can synchronize multiple iPods, regardless of model, with a single music library on a single computer.
Q: How do I back up my "favorites" in Internet Explorer?
A: The simplest method is to use the Import and Export command, under the File menu. The option called "Export Favorites" will save your favorites in a single file called "bookmark.htm." This file can be imported at a later date into Internet Explorer and will re-create your favorites. You can also copy this file to other computers and import it into Internet Explorer on those PCs, to replicate your favorites on multiple machines.
Alternatively, you can back up the folder where Internet Explorer stores favorites as numerous small, individual files. In Windows XP, that folder can be found nested in a larger folder called "Documents and Settings," in a subfolder with your user name on it.
UPDATE: Last week, I wrote that "as far as I can tell," the Thunderbird e-mail program doesn't allow users to create a single inbox for multiple e-mail accounts. Numerous readers wrote in to tell me such an option is possible in Thunderbird, and so it is. But it is buried in the Advanced portion of a dialog box called "Server Settings," where mainstream, nontechie users are unlikely to find it.
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Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
阻挡垃圾邮件
在我们大多数人拥有的大件电器中，再没有什么比个人电脑更令人费解、更变幻莫测的了。每个人或许都有些关于电脑的问题，而《莫博士信箱》将为您提供帮助。
本周我将回答有关如何阻挡垃圾邮件、怎样备份“我的最爱”、以及与iPod Shuffle有关的一些问题。
问：我们新的戴尔8400电脑中既有微软(Microsoft)内置的防火墙软件，还安装了Norton AntiVirus和Webroot的反间谍软件，但是我们还是收到大量的邮件，兜售毒品和色情刊物等东西，是否还有其他别的办法？
答：你面临的是垃圾邮件问题。防火墙、杀毒软件、反间谍软件都阻挡不了垃圾邮件。你需要安装一个反垃圾邮件的程序，或是开启电子邮件系统中的反垃圾邮件功能，二者同时并用也可以。
问：如果我买了新出的售价99美元的iPod Shuffle，我能用它来听有声书吗？如果我已经将一台普通的iPod和我的东芝(Toshiba)笔记本电脑实现了同步，我能否将iPod Shuffle也和这台笔记本电脑实现同步？
答：你说的这些都是可以的。和所有的iPod一样，Shuffle也能播放从Audible.com上下载的数字有声书，你可以在iTunes网上商店或是Audible的网站上购买这样的有声书。你可以将多个iPod与同一台电脑上的同一个音乐数据库实现资料同步，而无论这些iPod都是何种型号。
问：我怎样备份Internet Explorer中的“我的最爱”(my favorites)文件夹？
答：最简单方法是使用“档案”(File)菜单下的“导入和导出”(Import and Export)功能。选项的名称叫“导出我的最爱”，它能将“我的最爱”存到一个名为“bookmark.htm”的文件下面。这个文件以后能被导入到Internet Explorer中，再次生成“我的最爱”。你还可以将这个文件复制到其他电脑上，然后再导入到这些电脑的Internet Explorer中，由此就能将“我的最爱”复制到多台电脑上。
另外，你也可以在Internet Explorer将“我的最爱”分成若干个单独文件存储的地方进行文件的备份。在Windows XP中，它存放在“Documents and Settings”文件夹下一个以你的用户名命名的文件夹中。
另外，我在上周的《莫博士信箱》中提到“就我目前所知，Thunderbird不能在同一个收件箱中设立多个电子邮件帐户”。许多读者因此写信来告诉我说，Thunderbird是能够设立多个电子邮件帐户的。事实的确如此。不过，这个功能隐藏在“Server Settings”对话框下的Advanced选项内，一般的用户是很难找到它的。
